


New Year's Resolutions

by LacePendragon



Category: RWBY
Genre: Background Fiona/Robyn, Background Marrow/Clover, Background Ruby/Penny, Background Weiss/Blake/Yang, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, New Years Eve, Romance, V7 Era, canon adjacent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22061881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LacePendragon/pseuds/LacePendragon
Summary: It's New Years Eve and James has thrown a party to celebrate. But Qrow isn't interested in the party. Instead, he's on the balcony, watching the stars, and it's only when James finds him that his night goes from average to amazing.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Comments: 26
Kudos: 124





	New Year's Resolutions

**Author's Note:**

> Happy new year this fic isn't proofread at all.

The night sky over Atlas had always amazed Qrow. Despite the lights that illuminated the floating city, the stars remained brilliant and beautiful. Vale and Atlas were so far apart that the night sky was almost alien, bar the handful of constellations that floated by in the summer.

But it wasn’t summer. It was winter. And the cold of Solitas permeated even the heights of Atlas proper.

Not that Qrow was helping himself, seeing as he was standing on the balcony, exposed to the elements, while the warmth of the end of year party flowed out through the parted doors.

At least he was wearing sleeves. These holiday parties had a strict dress code, and Qrow had been stuffed into a dress shirt, a vest, and a tie for the occasion. It wasn’t that much of a departure from how fancy his new, Atlas clothes were. But the difference was enough to leave Qrow fidgeting and uncomfortable. Hence, why he’d come outside.

Besides that, the alcohol was flowing freely inside. The smell of champagne was stronger than Qrow remembered. But maybe it was because his sense of smell and taste had been dead for so long, choked out by alcohol. That would also explain why he had different taste in food now. Well, why he had _taste_ in food now. Couldn’t just eat jerky and stale bread all the time.

He sighed, unsurprised when his breath came out in a cloudy puff.

Really, he was being ungrateful. This was a _party_ , after all. Despite everything, Atlas and Mantle were doing well. Robyn had won the election, James was explaining things to her as they both could handle it, the Amity CCT was almost done. And while they hadn’t caught Tyrian and whoever he was working with – and Qrow knew it had to be someone else, Tyrian couldn’t do everything alone, no one could – they’d gone quiet since James had teamed up with Robyn to fix up Mantle.

Small miracles, and all that.

Hell, James had even taken the news that they’d been keeping shit from him, well, and had reacted the calmest of anyone when Ruby had explained everything he’d been missing, just a few weeks ago. He’d simply sat down, and remarked how tragic a love story it was. Then, he’d hugged Oscar, and Oscar had clung to him so tightly that he’d creased James’ suit.

It was later, that James had turned everything over and talked to Qrow for hours. But even then, he hadn’t gotten angry or even properly upset. Mostly thoughtful. Mostly pensive. The way he’d spoken about Oz and Salem, and their love story, and their grief, had left Qrow speechless.

He’d never thought about it that way. Leave it to James to give a new perspective.

Of course, that all changed how the Amity CCT was going to work, and James was still debating what to tell the people – all the stuff about Oz, he was keeping to just their inner circle, though whether that was because James thought the people would break from it, or because it was no one’s business, Qrow was uncertain. James seemed to go back and forth, himself.

“You know,” Qrow jumped at the words. James’ words, soft and gentle, on his left side, “typically, I’m the one staring moodily into the distance, thinking serious thoughts while everyone else is having fun.” James leaned against the railing, next to Qrow, and turned his head to smile at him.

Qrow smiled back, shaking off his thoughts. “Yeah, well. I’ve got a lot to think about.” He cast a glance over his shoulder, toward the party. He saw Robyn dance by, spinning Fiona in her arms. They were smiling, laughing. Most of the people at this party, James’ party, were supportive of human-faunus relationships, and Qrow knew more than one couple at the party was grateful for that.

There was something undeniably soft and… _encouraging_ about how much Robyn and Fiona loved each other. Like they were a look into the future of Atlas, where love was easy as long as you worked for it, and people smiled because they were happy, and not just to hide their fear.

“Mostly good things, I’d hope,” said James. Qrow looked back at James and took a moment to appreciate how he looked. The suit was a soft grey with dark blue accents. The gloves were charcoal, as opposed to crisp white. In fact, there wasn’t a scrap of Atlas white on James. Instead, he wore the shades of grey of Mantle, and the dark blue of the Ironwood name.

It was a good look, and one he wanted to appreciate longer, when James wasn’t watching him.

“Qrow?” asked James, when Qrow didn’t reply for a minute.

Qrow hummed and swept his gaze out to the city, then up to the stars. “Yeah,” he said, voice hoarse. “Mostly good things.” Which was true, even if those thoughts had started serious and moody.

“Care to share a few?” asked James. Qrow pressed his lips together, mulling over all of his thoughts to see which ones were worth sharing. Most things were too serious for tonight. Things he’d rather not discuss or think about until after the party, the afterparty, and a few days of rest and people watching. From what Qrow had gathered, watching the party, the kids were starting to shuffle into relationships.

It was cute. Especially seeing Ruby try to teach Penny to dance. The way Ruby looked at that girl… Qrow hadn’t seen that look on a face in years. Last time, it had been Taiyang looking at Summer as she taught Yang, as a toddler, to dance.

Something soft and quiet, private, that left Qrow ducking his head whenever he looked, because it wasn’t meant for him. It wasn’t meant for anyone but each other.

“Did you know?” asked Qrow. His gaze swept across the stars. Thousands of constellations and he could name maybe a dozen. Ursa Major and Minor, the Leviathan’s Shoes, and the Seven Huntresses. All were in the sky tonight, lighting up the night with the moon – split evenly between shattered and full.

“About what?” asked James. The gentle rumble of his voice, combined with the distant sounds of the party – James had shut the door, on his way out, dimming everything to white noise – added to the ethereal tone of the night.

“Robyn and Fiona.”

“Oh.” James hummed and settled closer to Qrow. Their arms brushed, from the shoulders to the elbow, where they’d both crossed their arms atop the railing. “No. I had no idea.”

Qrow tilted his head to look at James out of the corner of his eye. There was no judgement in his voice, and Qrow hadn’t expected it. James had lobbied for the decriminalization of human-faunus relationships over a decade ago, and he continued to lobby for the legalization of marriage, adoption, and funeral rights.

What he heard, and what he hadn’t expected, was the soft awe in James’ voice, and something that sounded, suspiciously, like longing.

“Did you hear?” asked James. Qrow blinked. “About Marrow and Clover?”

Qrow raised both eyebrows. He turned around to face the glass doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of what James was implying. Luck, it appeared, was on his side tonight. Or perhaps Clover’s, and their thoughts had aligned. The two swayed into view, dancing to a slow song that Qrow could faintly make out. Marrow had his arms wound loosely around Clover’s neck, his cheek resting on Clover’s shoulder. Clover had his arms around Marrow’s waist, a gentle smile on his face.

Clover lifted his head, as if sensing that someone was watching him, and met Qrow’s gaze. His smile strengthened, face crinkling at the corners of his eyes. He tilted his head, just a bit, in question. Qrow felt his cheeks heat. He nodded to Clover, who nodded back.

That just wasn’t fair. Clover knew about his own pining, but Qrow hadn’t had any idea what Clover was pining after Marrow. Talk about luck.

Though perhaps, thought Qrow, as Clover and Marrow swayed back out of sight, it was less to do with luck and more to do with fear. There was no real way to bring up, off the cuff, that you supported human-faunus relationships in a kingdom that didn’t. Clover had made the safe assumption, even if it _was_ the wrong one.

At least it had worked out for Clover, even if it wouldn’t for Qrow.

James could do better. Besides, James had better things to do than try and date the human disaster that was Qrow Branwen.

“You know, I’m starting to think you all have had an effect on the romances of Atlas,” said James, his tone dry. He turned, as well, to face the door and Qrow looked up at him, leaned back on his elbows against the railing. James stood straighter, his hands on the railing instead of his arms.

“Yeah, I can see that,” said Qrow. “Definitely made this place gayer, if nothing else.”

James raised both eyebrows.

Qrow said, “Robyn and Fiona, Marrow and Clover, Ruby and Penny.” He shifted, ticking them off on his fingers.

“Blake and Yang,” added James.

Qrow gave him a look, amusement in his voice as he added, “And Weiss.”

James blinked. “And Weiss?” he echoed.

Qrow nodded. “Yeah. That surprised me, too. But apparently she’s part of them.” He chuckled, shaking his head a bit. “Yang and I had a long talk about that and how to make polyamorous relationships work. I’ve got years of watching Tai to help with that.” He crackled a smile. “The three of them seem to be making it work.”

“I’m glad,” said James, his voice gentle. “It seems like love is in the air, in Atlas. At least it was, this year.” And there it was again, that quiet longing. For all that people claimed that James was heartless, and Qrow was guilty of being one of them, once, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Just in ways that most people didn’t understand. Qrow was part of that, as well, right now. He heard the longing, but he didn’t know _why_ it was there. What could James, the man who had everything, possibly want for?

Once, Qrow might have guessed he wanted friends, but James had those, now. Clover, Winter, Qrow, they were _friends_ with James, not just his colleagues. Hell, Clover had started calling James by name when he was off duty. That meant a lot.

What else was there?

“It’s nice,” said James, drawing Qrow from his thoughts. Qrow dragged himself back to the present and mirrored James as he turned back around and stared out at the city, leaning against the railing, once more. The dampness of the railing tugged at his shirt, but Qrow knew it’d dry quickly enough once they went inside.

“What is?” asked Qrow.

“Love,” said James. His voice was barely a whisper. A wind picked up, whistling around them. In the distance, Qrow could see the approach of clouds, thick and grey with snow. Before morning, there’d be another snowfall. “Many people have found love, this year.”

Qrow swallowed. Part of him wanted to say that more people still could. That James still could. The longing in James’ voice matched the longing in Qrow’s heart, but he had no way of knowing if the two were one and the same. Not without asking. And he didn’t dare ask for fear of destroying the second longest friendship, and the best one, he had.

“Maybe it’ll continue into the new year,” said Qrow, thinking about the possibilities. If they beat Salem, if things got better, if the world started to right itself, then maybe, maybe, he could risk it. But there was a lot to be done, and he feared it’d be years before it was over, before he got his chance.

But then again. What was it Clover had said to him, earlier today, when he was helping Qrow with his tie?

New year, new resolutions, and a new chance to be the person you wanted to be. At the time, Qrow hadn’t known what he was talking about. Now, he realized that maybe Clover hadn’t just been talking generally, but also about himself. If his seemingly new relationship with Marrow was anything to go by.

Maybe… maybe Clover had been talking to Qrow, as well. Maybe Clover was saying he should tell James.

But no, that would be a stupid idea.

“You think?” asked James, which served as a suitable response to both his internal monologue and his previous statement. “That would be… nice.” The hesitation had Qrow straightening up. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at James.

“Yeah?” asked Qrow. “You hoping for a year of love, James?” His voice was low, a light teasing to it that hid the fear underneath. The worry that James was thinking of someone else, instead of Qrow. It was a strange juxtaposition, to want James but not be worthy of him, to want him to be thinking of Qrow, but to know it would never happen.

Still, there weren’t a lot of people James _could_ be attracted to, if not Qrow, right? He was gay. Had been as long as Qrow had known him. Who the hell _could_ he like?

Pietro? Too old.

Vine? Too young. And _weird._

_Taiyang_? Well… maybe. They’d always had a weird chemistry that Qrow didn’t quite follow. Not that the same couldn’t be said about _him_ and Taiyang.

But that was neither here nor there.

“Maybe I am,” said James. He stared up at the night sky, his expression wistful and his deep blue eyes reflecting the lights of the stars. It made them seem impossibly deep, as if the depths of space were contained in those blue eyes. Qrow could get lost in those eyes, fall into forever and find himself at the height of his own self-worth.

Looking at James had that effect on him. Lifting him up even as his mind tore him down.

Qrow swallowed. He wanted to say something wise. He wanted to ask James who it was he had in mind, who had captured his heart. He wanted to say a lot of things. But none of them would come.

Instead, he said, “Oh?”

James hummed. “A lot of things have changed, since you came to Atlas. Learning the truth, learning to _trust_ , it was something I needed.” He cast a look at Qrow, who nodded. “I can’t help but think about Salem and Ozpin’s story. How their secrets were their ruin, but how those secrets stemmed, first, from a grief so deep that it sent Salem down a dark path.”

He shook his head, eyes half-closed as he looked up to the stars. “It’s tragic,” he murmured. “To love and to lose like that. It…” He sighed. “I don’t know. But I almost pity her. Or rather, what she was, before she cast herself into the pools of Grimm.” He looked down, toward the city, eyes still half-closed. “But more than that, I feel for Ozpin. All they wanted was to be with the woman they loved, and that left them blind to what she had become until it was too late.” He closed his eyes, lips pressed together. “I wonder, at times, if it’s for the best that I was alone until now. That love could not blind the people I care for to my flaws and my own destruction.”

Qrow reached up and rested a hand on James’ shoulder. “You were doing the best you could with the information you had,” he said. “What matters is we’re changing the circumstances. We’re making it better, James.”

James offered a tiny smile to Qrow. “You’re right,” he said. He cleared his throat. “And I suppose we shouldn’t be talking about all this. It’s New Years’ Eve, after all. We’re supposed to be celebrating.”

Qrow cleared his throat. “Right.” He rolled James’ words over in his mind, but couldn’t find anything specific to latch on to. He wanted to ask a lot of questions, but there was nothing specific that came to mind. Mostly, he was stunned by what James thought of the details he’d been missing. But then, James was a romantic, at heart, and he had always been too gentle in some ways and too harsh in others.

Of course he felt that way about what he perceived to be a love story.

And maybe he was right, but it was all still too fresh, too dark, too anger-inducing for Qrow to feel similarly. At least for now.

“Do you have any resolutions?” asked James looking at Qrow. “Things you want to change?”

Qrow shook his head. “Nah. The best resolution I’ve ever had was when I got here. Don’t think I could outdo going sober.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Really? Nothing at all?”

Qrow shrugged. “I could make resolutions, I guess, but there’s not much I want to do that I think I _can_ do.”

“Really?” asked James. “That seems strange for you.”

Qrow shook his head. “Nah, I know my limits.” He tugged his fingers through his hair and looked up at James. “What about you?”

Inside, he heard the clock chime, marking two minutes to the new year. Cheers went up and the music turned to something more upbeat.

James hummed. “A few,” he said. “But, I suppose the biggest one is honesty. I want to be as honest as possible, in the coming year. Toward my colleagues, toward my friends, toward Robyn, toward my people.” He cast a look at Qrow that felt heavy with meaning that Qrow couldn’t place. “Toward myself.”

Qrow swallowed. “Oh?”

“There’s…” James paused, and sighed. “I’m not good at speeches.”

Oh.

_Oh._

That meant… that had to mean… he wasn’t hallucinating, was he? He wasn’t crazy? If James was pausing, and getting flustered, and talking about speeches, then he _had_ to be talking about his feelings.

His feelings that, logically, had to be for Qrow.

Right?

But he wasn’t—

No. He was cutting that thought off before it started. With his heart hammering in his chest, Qrow told himself that he was not fighting this damn thought again. Whatever happened next, happened. And he was gunning for it to be what he hoped.

His insecurities could shut up.

“James?” asked Qrow, staring up at him with wide eyes. “Are you… saying what I think you’re saying?”

James swallowed. “I like you,” he said. He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks burning brightly. “That sounds childish, but I do. I have for some time. You’re the most incredible person I know, and we’ve known each other for so long that I don’t want to ruin anything. But I want to be honest, from now on, and…” He sighed.

“James?” Qrow couldn’t keep the amusement from his voice. His voice wavered, hope bloomed in his chest, and he couldn’t stop smiling. He beat his insecurities into a box in the back of his head and ignored them. He’d deal with it later.

“Yes?” asked James, staring at him with a hopeful smile.

“I like you too,” said Qrow. James beamed, cheeks even brighter. “Come here.” He stepped up to James and slipped his hands into James’ jacket, fingers curling into his lapels to drag him down.

James leaned in the rest of the way on his own, meeting Qrow’s lips with his own.

Qrow sighed, all his breath escaping through his nose. He kissed James like it was the only thing that mattered. Pressed tight against him and tilting his head to kiss him longer, deeper. His body shuddered, his ears burned, and he couldn’t help the smile that split across his face. It broke the kiss and James furrowed his brow at him as they pulled back.

Foreheads together, Qrow smiled at him.

“I take it back,” whispered Qrow. “I do have a resolution.”

“What’s that?” asked James.

“To keep fighting, against anyone who says otherwise, including myself, until I think I’m worthy of you,” said Qrow. He let out a slow, shaky exhale. “By this time next year, I want to think – to _know_ – that I’m good enough to stand at your side.”

James kissed his nose. “And I’ll be with you the whole way,” said James. “Telling you that you are, until you believe me.”

Qrow smiled. “I look forward to it.”

With that, he leaned in and kissed James again, and again, as the fireworks burst overhead and the new year rang in across Solitas.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love!


End file.
